Quite independent of reading about the actress who plays Lexa, I had come to have it dawn on me one day as I was watching Fear the Living Dead that the look of the actress playing the character Alicia Clark suddenly reminded me of Lexa.

She had looked extremely familiar from the start, but I initially thought that it was probably only because she resembled a young Shannen Doherty.

I had been very sorry when Lexa was killed off, for I had grown very fond of her. But Alicia Clark is now coming to reel me in, too.

Just recently I certainly never expected to be watching a show featuring the actress speaking in her natural voice...and hearing a rather strong Australian accent! She hid it well as the two fictional characters ─ there is no trace of accent to my ringing old ears.

But enough of last evening.

Today is the third consecutive, disappointing day in which I have discovered that my eldest step-son Tho has failed to go to work.

His mother is supposed to come home from Vancouver today at some point ─ maybe she won't show up until the late evening; but I will be alerting her to his truancy just as I did concerning the previous two days.

My annoyance at his presence here has been somewhat tempered, for his younger brother Pote never had to work today ─ and he spent the night with his girlfriend Priyanka in his bed, so she has been here as well.

Consequently, I cannot focus solely upon Tho as having robbed me of a day to myself here in the house.

It had been my hope this morning to get out for some local grocery shopping, but I never did bother. Whether the presence of those others in the house helped defray that expedition is difficult to say with any certitude, for none of them were yet up for the day when I had decided against the venture.

But at least a largely overcast morning gave way to a fairly sunny day, allowing me to sit outside on a chair in the backyard facing into the Sun for just over an hour.

I was fully clothed, but barefoot; it became warm enough to have been shirtless, however.

In the interim, Pote and Priyanka apparently took off for somewhere in Tho's car.

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I heard about this infuriating turn of events late last evening on a T.V. news programme:

Health Canada has approved the first-ever genetically modified (GM, or genetically engineered) food animal, a GM Atlantic salmon, for human consumption. Environment Canada has already approved the production of the GM fish but this decision is currently before the courts in Canada. The GM fish will not be labelled on grocery store shelves. Below is yesterday’s press release.

You can call or write your Member of Parliament - search their contact using your postal code at www.parl.gc.ca.

“Canadians could now be faced with the world’s first GM food animal, approved with no public consultation and no labelling,” said Lucy Sharratt of CBAN.

“At the very least, the government should immediately establish mandatory labelling of all GM foods so consumers can choose,” said Thibault Rehn of Vigilance OGM.

The latest consumer poll shows 88% of Canadians want mandatory labelling of all GM foods and 45% said they would definitely not eat the GM salmon. (2015 Consumer Poll)

“GM salmon production threatens the future of wild Atlantic salmon,” said Calinda Brown of the Ecology Action Centre, “Retailers can protect consumers and the environment by making sure this GM fish never makes it to grocery store shelves.”

The US company AquaBounty (now majority owned by biotechnology company Intrexon) says it initially plans to produce GM salmon eggs at its facility in Prince Edward Island in Canada, and ship the eggs to Panama for grow out and processing. However, the company has approval to raise the GM salmon in Canada.

I had already included my name and my comments in a petition, but it seems to have been to no avail.

This following brush-up from NewMarketHealth.com cites some very germ-ridden locations that you might not otherwise even consider:

It turns out that one of the most germy places around is where you go to get healthier -- the gym.

A recent study found that that exercise equipment is filled with more disease-causing microbes than you would ever think. Things such as those free weights you use to get stronger were found to be over 300 times germier than a public toilet seat.

Or that exercise bike and treadmill -- more bacteria was found on those items than a public bathroom faucet or those reusable cafeteria trays in schools.

But those aren't the only surprising places sickening bacteria can hang out. For example:

Your computer keyboard: Keyboards tested in a UK study contained so much bacteria they made public toilet seats look clean by comparison. The answer is to wipe them down frequently (say after you shut down for the night) with a sanitizing cloth. And, of course, stop all that snacking at the keyboard!

Your cell phone: The phone is another hot spot for risky microbes. One study found dangerous levels of E. coli bacteria on one out of every six cell phones tested.

Your handbag: Researchers at the University of Arizona discovered that the average purse can be hazardous to your health. The typical handbag is literally covered with bacteria, probably since it gets put down on floors (including those in bathrooms), shopping carts and loads of other not-so-clean places.

The TV remote: The remote control for your television probably gets touched by more family members than any other item in your home (especially when they're sick!). A study out of the University of Virginia found over 50 percent of remotes they tested were coated with viruses that cause the common cold.

But perhaps the most surprising place to expose yourself to loads of germs is something you always touch when going out to eat -- a restaurant menu. It's handled by everyone and seldom cleaned. Studies have found restaurant menus to have 100 times more bacteria than a typical toilet seat!

The best solution is what your mom told you before single every meal. "Go wash your hands before you eat."

And, apparently, after reading the menu!

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I think it may have just been yesterday that I included a report on a nasal spray supposedly designed to help men with frequent nighttime urination issues, but here is another:

The only thing worse than the sound of your neighbor's sprinklers waking you up at 3 a.m. -- again -- is when your own silent "sprinkler" prods you awake because you've got to dash to the bathroom.

It's more than just irritating.... It's downright dangerous!

When you wake up in the middle of the night, it's dark, and you're disoriented -- the perfect conditions for a bone-crunching fall. Even if you make it back to bed in one piece, it can be tough to get back to sleep.

Then, once you're finally in dreamland, it happens AGAIN: Your bladder forces you to wake up for yet another trip to the bathroom.

By the time morning breaks, you're so bleary-eyed and cranky that no amount of coffee in the world will help.

I can certainly understand, then, why you might be excited by a new push to give you artificial hormones for bladder control. Supposedly, a couple of snorts on an inhaler jacked with desmopressin, a synthetic version of vasopressin, can stop the bladder from filling so you can sleep a little better.

But don't jam this thing up your nostrils just yet... because it's not nearly as safe or as effective as you've been led to believe!

The new study finds that, on average, the hormone cut the number of nighttime bathroom trips by at least two.

That might sound good, but a study in 2011 found it cut the number of bathroom trips by just one -- from an average of 2.6 times a night down to 1.6 times per night.

If you're just about at your wit's end from all those unwanted wakeup calls, I can see how even that might be tempting.

But while the hormone seems safer than the brain-scrambling meds some patients are given for bladder control, that doesn't mean it's SAFE.

It comes with a very serious risk, especially for older folks: It can cause your blood sodium levels to plunge, which can make you dizzy, weak, tired, and nauseous.

Even worse, it can cause your brain to fog up, leaving you so disoriented and confused you'll end up in the ER, barely able to say your own name.

One doc who prescribes this hormone to seniors says some older folks take it for months without a problem. Then, out of the blue, their sodium levels plunge -- which is why he urges docs to use it only with "considerable caution."

Why worry about all that when you don't have to?

There's a much safer way to seize control over your bladder so you're not jumping out of bed all night and tired in the morning.

An herbal remedy called Crataeva nurvala used in India for hundreds of years can increase the tone of smooth muscle -- the same type of muscle that lines your bladder.

With better muscle comes better control... and you could wake up less and sleep more.

Look for a bladder control formula that contains this time-tested natural therapy.

Every time I look in the mirror I can't help but wonder what happened to the young man that used to live in there.

The hair's going gray (or -- let's face it -- going away), and I've got some little brown spots where the skin was one clear. And let's not even TALK about those wrinkles.

But hey, it's what's INSIDE that counts, right?

It's true... and in more ways than you may realize.

The signs of aging on the outside are literally skin deep. But the inside? That's where aging REALLY counts -- and the latest research reveals how you might be hitting the "fast forward" button on your internal aging process.

If you're among the millions of Americans who take proton pump inhibitors to tame the raging flames of acid reflux, I've got some bad news for you today, my friend...

You might be a lot older than you look!

That's right. You could be Harrison Ford on the outside... and more like the Crypt Keeper on the inside.

The new study finds that those PPIs can speed aging on your insides in two ways.

First, it can cause your endothelial cells to wear out like the inside of an old shoe.

Those are the cells that line your blood vessels and help ensure that blood flows smoothly. As you get older, the wear and tear on those cells causes junk to collect on the blood vessel walls.

Get enough junk, and you've got a blockage -- putting you at risk for heart attack, stroke, and more.

PPI drugs will speed that process, causing those cells to age even faster... boosting the risk of those blockages... and maybe sending you right to the ER... or even the morgue.

In addition, the same study finds PPI drugs can also rapidly age another type of cell that flushes cellular garbage out of the body, called lysosomes.

As those cells age, they don't clear out as much junk... and so your body fills with cellular debris that will increase your risk of chronic disease.

If those were the only risks of these drugs, I'd urge you to steer clear.

But if you're a loyal Daily Dose reader, you know that's only the beginning.

PPIs can sap you of bone-building nutrients, boosting the risk of breaks and fractures. They can block magnesium, putting you at risk for heart problems.

They can even wipe out the healthy "good bacteria" in your gut needed to fight off superbug infections!

Here's a much simpler solution to heartburn and reflux: Stock up on cabbage.

A head of cabbage is cheap, stores well, and if you run one through the juicer when you feel a reflux attack coming on, it can stop it dead in its tracks.

It's not so tasty, but it works. And it'll keep your insides just as young as your outsides.

My eyes have had enough blogging for the day ─ on to my journal entry of 41 years ago to close off with!

Back then, I was 25 years old, and living in a basement housekeeping unit in New Westminster.

TUESDAY, May 20, 1975I guess I slept quite well. The day appears to be a sunny one.I was the sole consumer at the laundry.At 10:00 a.m. I left for the library, and learned that salamander raising requires more care than I feel I can provide. Thus, I shall free most of my larvae.I did not phone Bill yet. Having written this, I did so. He will pick me up at mom's around 3:00 p.m. 'Tis now 11:13 a.m. There were no clouds as I walked to mom's.Mail there was my Plain Truth and a change of address card from Jean.Mom signed my welfare declaration form.It seems her climbing vine peach came.She took me to Safeway where I bought two packets of ground beef and a TV Guide.I guess it wasn't till 5:30 p.m. or so Bill arrived. We left for my place, me with some of my early Surrey life paraphernalia mom gave me (negatives and a copy letter from Bishop Coleman), my dumbbell, and 1 gallon water sack.

After collecting my jar and net, Bill & I examined a swampy area out behind the Westminster Drive-In, but left unfulfilled.

We drove past Richie Gullaher's place, then out behind Kempin's old place. How things have changed!

Bill wished to go to a drive-in, so I selected the Hillcrest's offerings: Chosen Survivors and The Mutations. We went, his treat.Besides this, at his expense I enjoyed two large oranges, a hamburger, an orange pop, and a glazed doughnut.Bill seems intent on involving me in a long-distance fishing trip sometime soon. He is off work this week only, but will be off again in three weeks. He suggested visiting Norman.Abed at 2:00 a.m.?

I must have failed to do my laundry on Sunday at the laundromat I generally frequented.

Thanks to my old friend William Alan Gill, I had managed to locate some salamander eggs out in Surrey the previous Saturday, and about six of them had hatched overnight into tadpoles.

Apparently I was supposed to phone him this day ─ or perhaps I was just choosing to. It required use of a payphone, for I never had my own telephone.

My mother Irene Dorosh lived out in Surrey ─ the Kennedy Heights area. Her home was my mailing address; and although the little house is now gone, I still remember the address as 12106 - 90th Avenue.

This was to be one of those days in which I hiked out to see her ─ a hike that took 1½ hours even at a good pace.

I was a subscriber to The Plain Truth magazine; the change of address card was from my American pen-pal, Jean Michelle Martin.

I was only working one day a week back then ─ it was as a result of an employment initiatives programme in place with my employer and New Westminster social services, I believe. Each month, I had to submit a declaration indicating that I still needed to be in the programme, and it always required a confirming witness.

I rather wonder now about those negatives my mother gave me ─ I hope they were for photos that have not since been lost, for I doubt I have the negatives now.

There apparently was not a good pond or anything there for the salamanders, so we continued on to a boggy area I remembered from back in 1963 or so that was located in the vicinity of (I believe) 127th Street which ran from 76th Avenue to 80th Avenue ─ still in Surrey.

I am guessing now that "Richie Gullaher" was probably more likely Richie Gullager or similar. He was a fellow student of my younger brother Mark's at Dr. F.D. Sinclair Elementary School, but somehow he and I hit it off even though I was older by at least a couple of years.

Anyway, failing to find any bogs still existing, we headed on out towards Cloverdale ─ probably the Holmes Road area just off Highway 10 (56th Avenue) right near where the Serpentine River is crossed by the latter highway.

Holmes Road seems to have been replaced by 164th Avenue, although I have seen it stated that Holmes was renamed as 163rd Avenue.

When my family first moved to Surrey in late 1956 or early 1957 from Vancouver, we lived in a house that I think was located on the property of the Kempin family farm. Their vegetable farm spanned from Holmes Road to 168th Street, and Highway 10 (56th Avenue) to Colebrook Road.

My mother used to work in those fields for several years. Everything started with weeding, and then there was the crop harvesting later ─ all manner of vegetables, but I specifically recall potatoes and carrots.

But did Bill and I find a place around there to release the salamander tadpoles? I do not specify. Instead, I jump to the topic of attending the Hillcrest Drive-In. It used to be located on the Fraser Highway in the direction of Langley as one was travelling from 176th Avenue in Surrey.